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Publisher Atari and developer Nightdive Studios announce Blood is the
next game to get the update treatment from Nightdive, who have already released
updated versions of System Shock, System Shock 2, Turok,
Turok 2: Seeds of Evil, and Forsaken. This is not actually
surprising, as they teased this announcement just
five weeks ago. Released in 1997, Blood is a first-person shooter developed
by Monolith with the Build engine that powered Duke Nukem 3D, and they call the
rerelease "impending," and that we can expect more details "in the coming
weeks." Here's the plan:

Iconic game publisher Atari® has selected
Nightdive Studios – a dedicated team of industry veterans committed to restoring
the classic PC game titles of the past and making them accessible to a new
generation of gamers – to revamp the classic Atari-owned Adventure-Horror PC
title Blood. Originally developed by Monolith Productions and released in 1997,
Blood remains a fan-favorite and will receive enhancements to improve the
action-packed, horrifying game experience.

The team working on the game at Nightdive Studios includes lead engine developer
Samuel “Kaiser” Villarreal, whose previous work includes The Original Strife,
Turok, Turok 2: Seeds of Evil and, most recently, Forsaken Remastered.
Additionally, developers Edward Richardson, James Haley, and producer Daniel
Grayshon will be working on the project.

Regarding the upgrading effort, Daniel said: “Blood stood up extremely well over
time and we are taking care to preserve all the qualities that made the game so
special. It really only needs minor updates to provide a better user experience
for contemporary audiences. By using some of the functions of Nightdive’s KEX
engine, we’ll be able to provide compatibility with today’s video standards,
with DirectX and Vulkan support.”

He continued: “Similarly, we’ll provide compatibility with the current audio
standards. We’ll add support for modern networks, Steamworks, and GOG Galaxy to
bring this original game to more players. As part of this, we will preserve the
accuracy of the game behavior. While these upgrades are relatively minor, we are
confident that they will provide fans with a better, current generation gameplay
experience.”

“We are thrilled to work with the fine team at Nightdive Studios to bring the
cult classic Blood back to gamers,” said Todd Shallbetter, COO of Atari. “Blood
is a grisly good time, and there’s no better team out there than Nightdive to
ensure that the game will find new fans.”

Originally released in 1997, Blood is a First-Person Shooter that helped
redefine the genre and first introduced many elements now accepted as
commonplace. In Blood, players jump into the boots of undead gunslinger Caleb as
he seeks revenge against the dark god Chernobog. Caleb’s arsenal features a mix
of standard and occult weaponry, which he uses to devastating and gore-filled,
effect. In the game, players visit a terrifying world populated by hordes of
bloodthirsty fiends including cultists, gargoyles, zombies, hellhounds, and an
unholy host of other terrors.